Stories are the lifeblood of who we are as individuals, and as a society.

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Stories are written to move people, to change people's lives. Writing is about mastering the art and craft of story, not second-guessing the marketplace. A well-told, well-crafted story will always be marketable, and the market has never been better writers, whether you're writing a screenplay, TV show, novel, graphic novel, or even working on a podcast (the hot new market for developing new IP).

At Story Expo, you'll have a choice of up to 80 professional workshops and sessions in a single, intense weekend, all taught by highly respected and established speakers. You'll learn how to tell your story, and sell your story, to achieve its greatest success both creatively and financially. Plus you'll enjoy industry panels, star speakers, exhibitors, pitching, the Story Expo Bash, and the opportunity to network with other writers from around the country and around the world.

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Steven Spielberg once said, "The most amazing thing for me is that every single person who sees a movie brings a whole set of unique experiences, [and] through careful manipulation and good storytelling, you can get everybody to clap at the same time, to hopefully laugh at the same time, and to be afraid at the same time."

Writers write because they have to write. That's what they know. But we all need that push, that inspiration, that allows us to create amazing new story worlds. At Story Expo you'll be surrounded by hundreds of fellow writers from around the world with whom you'll forge new friendships, develop new relationships and establish  invaluable contacts. Networking is vital for any successful writer, and you'll be surrounded by like-minded writers who you will find inspiration in, and who will find inspiration in you.  

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​Since 2013, Story Expo has grown each year to become the preeminent conference in the world for story writers in film, TV, publishing, streaming and more. While other major conferences (Book Expo, Screenwriting Expo, etc.) have fallen by the wayside, Story Expo strives to produce a bigger and better program every year, which is why people return year after year. And while other conferences charge $600, $700, $800 or more for conferences offering much less, we've kept our price below $300 from the start.  

L.A. STORY EXPO 2021 PIVOTS TO ONLINE LIVE-STREAM EVENT

THE EXPO WILL RUN ALL THREE ORIGINAL DAYS (SEPT. 24-26, 2021); THE SCHEDULE, INCLUDING ALL 70+ SESSIONS, SPEAKERS AND PITCHING ROOM, WILL REMAIN THE SAME

(August 24, 2021)

Covid, and specifically the Delta variant, is not fading as everyone thought it might. This week it was reported that breakthrough infections (people who have already been vaccinated) accounted for more than 30% of new infections in LA County, and hospitalizations in LA have quadrupled in the last four weeks. Additionally, more restrictions are being put in place such as limits on indoor capacity, proof of vaccination or negative test requirements, etc. 

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The health and safety of our attendees, speakers, workers and volunteers is our highest priority. We hate the idea of not being live-in-person this year, but also, in good conscience, we'd be devastated if Story Expo was responsible for getting anyone sick. Also, more and more we were hearing feedback from YOU, as you expressed your concern about taking part in a large conference with hundreds of other people from around the world. 

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In the interest of everyone's health and safety, and with our ongoing concern that we didn't want upcoming restrictions to force us to cancel the live conference at the last minute, LA Story Expo 2021 is officially pivoting this year to be an online live streaming event.

The good news is our schedule and line-up of A-list speakers remains unchanged, and the sessions will be all streamed live online the weekend of Sept. 24-26, 2021 exactly as scheduled. Just like in person, you'll be able to tune in to any session in each timeslot, but unlike the in-person event, if you miss a session or day, you'll be able to view (or re-view) the entire schedule of classes on-demand for a full week. Our speakers will also be making themselves more available in between sessions to network, answer questions and more. Finally, the pitching room will also be done virtually, with one-on-one Zoom conferences being coordinated with each of our executives. 

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Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to an amazing live stream Story Expo conference the weekend of Sept. 24-26, 2021, and returning live in 2022 in New York (March 4-6, 2022) and Los Angeles (Sept. 16-18, 2022).

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August 26, 2021 Update: The American Film Market conference (AFM), the largest film buyer conference in the world, scheduled to take place in Santa Monica, CA the week of Nov. 1-5, 2021 just announced they are pivoting to an online event this year too. 

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SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2021

$229

Save $70. Normally $299.

Friday, September 24, 2021

1:00-2:30pm:

• Based On A True Story

• Pre-Writing Your Screenplay

• Pitching Workshop

• Meet Your Characters

3:00-4:30pm:

• Editing Your Screenplay

• Love & Love To Hate: Writing Characters We Care About

• The Role of Dialogue & Dialogue Techniques 

• Writing Deep Scenes

• Story & Loglines

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5:00-6:30pm

• Stealing Hollywood: Screenwriting Tricks

• The Rewrite: Structure, Character & Drama

• Get Serious About Book Series & Serials

• Cracking Your TV Pilot

• Story In Spirituality 

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Saturday September 25, 2021

9:00-10:30am:

• TV Pitch Template

• Overcoming Writers Block, Failure & More

• The 5 Elements Of A Perfect Pitch

• Unscripted & Reality TV 

• Give Me A Great Bad Guy, Great Movie

• 5 Essentials Steps To Be A Novelist

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11:00am-12:30pm:

• Based-On: A Non-Lawyers Guide To Acquiring Rights for Your Film & TV Project

• How To Write Characters That Audiences Will Never Forget

• Developing Your Feature Film Idea

• Understanding/Hollywood Notes Process

• Suspense...It's Not Just For Thrillers

• Narrative Investing: Story for Business Owners & Storytellers

1:30-3:00pm:

• Building The Story Board

• Writing Episodic TV for Streaming

• Writing Comedy: Habits To Write Funny

• Creating Great Characters + Unlikable Characters​

• Directing Your First Film

• The Interrogation Process

3:30-5:00pm:

• Law School for Writers: Negotiating Deals

• Writing Love: Screenwriting Secrets

• Writing The Episodic Show Bible

• The Art of Adaptations

• Writers' Guild Foundation: Screenwriters  Programs & Resources

• Screenwriting Elevated: Create Outstanding Scripts

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5:30-7:00pm

• Thriller/Mystery/Suspense Master Class

• Screenwriting Contests: How To WIN Them

• How To Write A Page-Turner!

• Nailing Your Concept Before You Write

• The Villain's Plan: Escalating Conflict...

• Film Financing Crash Course

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Sunday, September 26, 2021

9:00am-10:30am:

• How To Stay Persistent On The Path To Path To Publication

• Getting An Agent and Manager

• Master Class in Scene Study

• The Power Of Staging

• Don't Make A Feature! (Make A Short!)

11:00am-12:30pm:

• Creating A Pitch Deck For Your TV Show

• 10 Essential Principles of Plot

• Heartwarming, Good Feelings... Positive Experiences and The Science of Connecting

• Scenes As The Building Blocks for Great Fiction

• How To Hook An Agent (Or Editor) and Get Published!

• Read-Watch-Learn! Screenwriting From The Masters Of The Art

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1:30-3:00pm:

• Tricks Of Pitching Hollywood

• Independent Documentary Filmmaking

• Engage On The Page - Subtext To Create A Great Read

• Radical Approaches To Screenwriting

3:30 

• End Of Weekend

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Click Class Titles for Descriptions or  CLICK HERE for Full LA Schedule Page.

PITCHING ROOM

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     Saturday & Sunday, October 2-3, 2021

     Saturday, October 9, 2021

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Online, one-on-one sessions with top agents, managers and companies.